Tag: folayan

How popular is the baby name Folayan in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Find out using the graph below! Plus, see baby names similar to Folayan and check out all the blog posts that mention the name Folayan.

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Popularity of the Baby Name Folayan

Number of Babies Named Folayan

Posts that Mention the Name Folayan

A few months back, commenter Becca mentioned the book Names From Africa (1972), which I believe was the first baby name book in the U.S. to focus on African names exclusively.

I have yet to see Ogonna Chuks-orji’s book in full, but Ebony ran an article in 1977 about African-American naming traditions (a few months after Roots first aired) and included a selection of names from the book.

I’ve included the names below, but first here’s a snippet of the article:

Then came the ’60s and ’70s and the rejection of assimilation efforts. Cultural nationalism and separatism replaced integration and Afro-Americans changed their names to reflect their new consciousness. The name of people of African descent as a whole was changed from Negro or colored to Black or Afro-American to reflect an aggressive pride in the African heritage, and an affirmation of the validity of self-defined identity. Africa became a source of names. Very Anglo-Saxon or exotic European names were changed to African names–usually Swahili names with meanings pertinent to the struggle. African leaders, past and present, like Shaka, Kwame Nkrumah and Sekou Toure, began to provide the heroic, strong, inspirational names. The eclectic choice of African names reflects the Pan-Africanist orientation of the Afro-American identity.

Here are all the girl names:

Some of the these girl names have appeared on the SSA’s baby name list:

I was very curious about the definition of Machupa, “likes to drink.” Turns out it’s not alcohol-related; another book on African names specifies that the root of Machupa is probably chupa, a Kiswahili word meaning “bottle.”

Sources:

Stewart, Julia. African Names: Names from the African Continent for Children and Adults. New York: Citadel Press, 1993.